阅读理解Old Japanese living alone can now hire a “family” for lunch and a few hours’ pleasant talk.Just give them a telephone call and ask for, say, a daughter, son-in-law and grandchild.They will show up at your door, and greet you emotionally as if they hadn’t seen you for years.
Some 15 couples have so far hired “families”.“We have nearly 80 people on the waiting list.” Said the president of the company that offers such services, “What is common about these senior citizens is that they are thirsty for human love.We are helping them make their dreams come true.”
Where once big families with three or more generations living together were common, now numbers are reducing fast.In cities there are very few indeed.Many old people see their families only rarely, if at all.This may be because the children’s bosses have sent them to a distant city, even abroad, or just because busy family members cannot find time to visit their parents.
“We’ve seen many cases in which parent-children relations are not in a happy state,” company president continues.“When a son finally visits his parents after a long while, it is often just to ask for money or for them to let him have their property(财产)early.”
Loneliness is not a one-way street.“One young mother came to us to ask about grandparents,” he added.
The company is now developing into other fields.Their services include providing “employees” for businessmen to scold and “lovers” for young people unlucky in love.Company’s “lovers” for hire is not a service to be misunderstood, company president makes clear.
“You shouldn’t think about our lover too romantically,” he said, “She’s there to act as an adviser on how to find a girlfriend.”
11.Old couples in Japan hire family members ().
A.to ask for help when they are ill
B.to realize their big-family dreams
C.to seek love and comfort
D.to strengthen parent-children relations
12.In the sentence “what is common about these senior citizens is that they are thirsty for human love”, “senior citizens” could best be replaced by() .
A.high-ranking officials in cities
B.rich old couples living in cities
C.respectable ladies and gentlemen
D.old people
13.Which of the following is not the reason that Japanese grown-ups seldom visit their parents?()
A.They are too busy.
B.They work in distant cities.
C.They can’t afford expensive visits to their parents.
D.Their relations are not very tight.
14.“Loneliness is not a one-way street” means that() .
A.both the old and the young will feel lonely
B.living alone is not a one-way street
C.young mother with a little child will feel lonely
D.one young mother will hire “grandparents” for their child
15.When a Japanese young man hires a “lover”, ()
A.she will be his lover
B.she will offer him valuable advice on love affairs
C.she will bring him a girlfriend
D.she will tell him her own love story